Play ball, man! Soccer and Politics!

Mundial 2010 can be very inspiring, I realize.

For example, I’ve heard about banks and rating agencies applying the same evaluation models in soccer as they do in economy. In this way they try to predict not the next state to go bankrupt but the winner of WORLD CUP 2010.

Soccer strategies on the other hand can be used in politics as well to boost the spirit of players and fans! It’s all soccer after all! Isn’t it?

The post below was submitted by Blog-Fan: Katy (Go, Katy, Go!)

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PLAY BALL, MAN !

The Coalition of the Radical Left commonly known by its Greek abbreviation ΣΥΡΙΖΑ (SYRIZA), is a coalition of left political parties in Greece. The party has 13 deputies at the Greek Parliament – Elections 2009.

SYRIZA’s results – 4.7% – at the recent national elections was received by its members in a nonchalant way mingled with a lot of disappointment.

We were nonchalant because we did not consider it a catastrophe. Many of us have faced worse situations. With a lot of disappointment because while we were certain that we played well and passionately right through the match we lost the game, what’s more at the penalties shootout..

SYRIZA was present in the whole field for the year and a half that separates us from the last elections: we struggled, side by side, with the citizens of Kavala against the coal burning energy producing plant, with the citizens of Athens for open, public and accessible recreational spaces and squares, we stood next to the citizens of the ancient Olympia region for the upgrading of their devastated, burnt up area. We stood next and not against the uprising of the youth in December, condemned the use of violence from all sides, suggested solutions for the immigration issue, for the democratization of the police forces, organized rallies for Konstantina Kouneva and the illegal invasion of Gaza. The people of SYRIZA opened doors and windows to society providing it with ways out. But what happened in extra time? Why couldn’t we score?

Did we get tired? Were we not fit enough to last the 90 minutes of a game? Was it the fault of our supporters who were not there? Should we blame the referee? Did the coach make the right strategy decisions? Did he choose the right players to execute his decisions?

A little bit of everything – as is always the matter in football.

We have to admit that the spectators couldn’t care less. They were absent!!!! Despite the fact that this was a home game, because the Working people’s Europe is our Europe, we missed the encouragement of the youth which abstained in large numbers. It may be our fault too, because we failed to convince the young people, men and women, that there are other ways to struggle for your rights……

The referee was definitely non-friendly: the international crisis, economic and social, led Europe, as a whole, to a conservative regression.

And back to the coach and our own mistakes. In this case we have to take into account the differences: in football the coach is God: his word goes and his alone. How was the team picked? Did the Synaspismos members have an opportunity to give their opinion about the players? I mean an unbiased, no-strings attached opportunity. Were there any fouls? Did the team administration influence the selection of one or another of the players? Our center forward did not score and that’s for sure. But was there team spirit?

Did the players pass the ball where they should have and at the right time? Which player missed opportunities and why?

One thing is for sure though….You do not fire a good coach after his first failure. Successful coaches who have won titles are precious for the team.

And since this is Mundial month remember: Football is fun, football is smart and it requires team spirit!!